A computer network typically includes various interconnected network devices such as client computers, server computers, terminals, printers, and so forth. A common type of computer network is a Local Area Network (“LAN”), which typically can span one or more buildings. Examples of LANs include computer networks based on Ethernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (“ATM”), token ring, and Fiber Distributed Data Interconnect (“FDDI”) technologies. Several LANs can be connected to form a larger network, such as a larger LAN. In certain situations, LANs that are located at different physical locations can be connected via a type of computer network typically referred to as a Wide Area Network (“WAN”).
A computer network, such as a LAN, can include a switch to direct data to various network devices of the computer network. A common type of switch includes multiple ports to which one or more network devices can be connected. A switch can perform switching operations by, for example, receiving and transmitting data through one or more of its multiple ports. In order to accommodate increasing demands for data traffic in a computer network, several switches can be connected to form a stack of switches.
Attempts have been made to manage a stack of switches through use of a primary switch. Use of a primary switch can simplify management of a stack of switches by providing a common point for monitoring as well as configuring switching operations performed by various switches of the stack of switches. While providing some benefits associated with use of a primary switch, previous attempts have typically suffered from one or more shortcomings. In particular, previous attempts often required dedicated hardware in the form of a dedicated management bus or a dedicated management hardware unit, which can increase both the cost and the complexity for managing a stack of switches. Also, previous attempts sometimes provided limited flexibility in network design by requiring switches to be located in close proximity to one another, such as in a single wiring closet, or by requiring each switch to be directly connected to a primary switch in order to be managed. And, some of the previous attempts limited the total number of switches in a stack of switches to an inadequate level, thus undesirably limiting the number of switches that can be managed using a primary switch. In addition, previous attempts typically provided limited management flexibility by restricting the ability to select and configure a different switch as a primary switch or by limiting a stack of switches to having one primary switch at a given time that can be used to manage the stack of switches.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop the apparatus and method described herein.